A Surprise at Dinner
by razorbladesmate
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened after the epilogue in Emerald Green? This is about the fateful dinner at Lady Tilney's house where Gwyneth finds out all that her parents have been hiding from her.


**Disclaimer: We own nothing but the plot of this story. All credit goes to Kerstin Gier.**

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 **Chapter One**

The people at the table were trapped in an awkward silence. Gideon was the first to break the quiet, leaning over the polished wood to grab a freshly baked golden roll from the bread basket, all the while accidentally knocking Paul's hand out of the way in his haste.

Paul quickly manoeuvred his hand to scratch his head to hide his embarrassment. He discreetly glared at Gideon, skillfully hiding it from his suspicious wife, but not me. Gideon smirked, then stuffed the whole roll into his mouth. Paul sent a neat jab into Gideon's poor, unsuspecting stomach, sending the other boy into a coughing fit.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," He managed to choke out, spraying bread flakes everywhere, and I raised an eyebrow knowingly. Lucy sent a suspicious glare to Paul, who started to whistle casually and avert his eyes.

"Want some help with the dishes, Lady Tilney?" he asked, flashing a charming smile at the woman, who in turn rolled her eyes at him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked Lucy once Lady Tilney was out of the room. Paul and Lucy leaned toward our side of the table, anxious smiles on their faces.

"Well, er, we've been wanting to tell you this for a while, but…", Paul started, leaning back in the chair casually, but with an air of nervousness visible.

"I'm pregnant!", Lucy burst out, face reddening with the effort. My eyes widen, and my jaw escalates downward.

"Wait, what?! But that would mean that… that would mean-", my mind fills in the blanks by itself, and I spluttered in shock.

"Bernard's my brother?!"

...

Paul's eyebrows dart up, and his face filled with joy.

"Yes! I knew it! A boy! Wait, he takes our pseudonym surname? Bernard?" he asked incredulously, the excitement draining from his voice.

I shook my head.

"It's Alfred Bernard. You know, the butler. Bernard. Oh my gosh, it's gonna be so awkward now!" I cried out, before promptly bursting into tears.

"Bernard the butler is my son?"

Suddenly, a uneasy quiet cloaked the room.

"His name is Alfred? Dear god; we named him _that_! Paul, you have some explaining to do!" Lucy said, breaking the sudden stoic silence.

"No, you- Oh my gosh, it doesn't matter. I have a brother! As in, besides Nick, obviously. _Even_ though he isn't my real brother, only my adopted one, but still! And now when I actually have a younger brother, he's gonna be older than me! Hey, does he even know? I bet he does, and he's been keeping it a secret from me. That's why he helped me that night right? I mean-", I ranted hysterically.

"Gwenny, please calm down," interrupted Gideon.

I whirled around to face him, fury reflected in my eyes. "Calm down? You want _me_ to calm down? What if you found out that your parents who live in a whole other era are about to have a child who is your younger brother, but is years older than you in reality, and… and", I faltered, and tears started streaming down my face. Gideon sighed and open his arms to embrace me. I choked back my tears and flung myself into his arms.

"There, there," he soothed. I glared at his superior tone, and he chuckled lightly.

"Shut up, will you?" I snapped.

Gideon and I parted ways at the Guardian Headquarters after coming back to 2011, and I stormed off to my house, surprise, dread and horror emblazoned in a mix of emotions on my face.

Caroline bounded up to me when I got home, sticky chocolate cake smothered all over her mouth and staining her already red cheeks.

"Gwenny! Charlotte and Arista and Glenda are going out again, so we have the house to ourselves tonight," she said, shoving the remains of her cake in her mouth as she walked me through the hallway.

"Great. I'll be in my room, okay?" I said, trying to soften my tone a bit for my little sister.

"'Kay. Do you want some of the cake that that Nick and I made?" she said cheerfully, licking her fingers.

"I'm fine", I said, before retreating up the stairs. It seemed that life was against me that day. If you haven't already guessed, on my way, I ran straight into my one and only biological brother.

"Good day, Miss Gwyneth", he greeted, turning to take the route I had just previously took from downstairs. I didn't respond, and just stood their with a dazed expression plastered on my face.

"Miss Gwyneth? Are you feeling well?" he asked, and concern leaked from his tone.

"Did you know?" I blurted out, not taking the time to think over my words. Heat glazed my face as I turned a deep shade of magenta. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Miss Gwyneth, are you sure that you're okay?"

"Did you know?" I repeated, my tone fiercer this time.

"Know what?" Bernard asked, nonplussed.

"That you're my brother! I suppose that you do, because you helped us before, but you probably were supposed to anyway or something. And how would you know? It's not as if you would have-," typical me, I choked up with hysterics before I could finish the sentence.

Bernard stared at me, an incredulous yet patient expression glazed over his face. I shrunk back, and a blush reddened my cheeks even more than before as he stared me down.

"Gwyneth, if you are referring to the fact that we are the son and daughter of Lucy and Paul Montrose, well then yes. I thought you knew. From when you came out of the hall after finding out about your parents?" he said dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"So you knew? You knew even before that, and just kept it a secret from me? For years?" I choked out. Bernard sighed.

"Gwyneth, I-"

I rushed out before he could say another word.


End file.
